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#1
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Frustrated collector! (rant)
When I was only 8 years old, I got my first pack of Donruss baseball
cards as an Easter present. This began what was to be a long obsession with baseball cards. Being only a kid, I didn't know much at all about collecting cards, or even how to take care of them. I kept my first bundle of cards secured with a rubber band and would tote them around in my pocket, or keep them in a little box on my dresser. The idea of cards having a "value" was beyond my comprehension. They were mine and I loved them all. As my collection grew, I started keeping the cards in plastic sleeves and binders. This was mainly done out of necessity rather than any idea of protecing the cards. It was easier to look at the cards this way, for one, and besides - I was running out of rubber bands. When I was maybe 10 or so, I would ride my bike downtown and look at the cards at the local card shop. This was probably when it dawned on me that my cards might actually be "worth something". Using my allowance, I would spend money on a card here or there, usually trying to get an "old card" if I could. One summer I bought an entire box of 1990 Donruss wax packs, and opened them all in a flurry, hoping to find some gems. Sadly, I didn't. Then came the Beckett magazines, and the endless looking up and dreaming of the value of my collection. Some of my cards were worth something, but mostly all of them were commons. On top of that, few of them were really in "mint" condition, or anything approaching mint. And so, realizing my collection was worth very little, my interest waned. I lost touch with the fun of collecting. Now, with the Internet, everyone seems to be concerned with their cards having a value. People even go to the trouble of getting their cards "graded" to get the most money for them that they can. After getting into the hobby somewhat last year (I'm 25 now), the whole hobby looks to be just a big business. Greedy people trying to get the most money they can for their collection, and being upset when their collection isn't worth the money they had hoped it would. I'm as gulity of this as anyone. So I'm trying to find out what it was about the cards that made me enjoy them in the first place. I'm trying to reunite myself with the joy of collecting a card, whether it's worthy anything or not. I just don't know if that's possible in a hobby where the allmighty dollar has become so important. |
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#2
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Ah ... my plight exactly ...
I have collected cards since 1973. With a wax box as a Christmas gift the need was born ... I NEED CARDBOARD Collecting cans through Little League to get pack money. Buying every pack they had everytime I had a game. Run home open the packs and finish Yankees team sets. Also, I kept the stars I really liked (Randolph, Schmidt, Rose, J. Morgan, yes, even Yaz). (1981's for reference). I liked to look at the cards, read the facts and keep them hidden from my little sister. I learned a lot about the things that make a star player a star and not a common. Now, I am a great judge of Rookie talent and can smell a slump a mile away. That is why I most love my cards. It connects me to the sports I love. I talk baseball, basketball, football & hockey with my sons and cards can be a useful tool in connecting. My 14 yr old says ... I Like Jim Thome he has 400+ HR's ... I show him a 2002 Tony Gwynn & say ... I like him, he has 434 career strikeouts ... We discuss the art of hitting. Who can, who can't, how the batting order affects a hitters ability to hit .300 or .400. So I guess today, I collect the cards of Yanks I like, stars that will be the vintage heroes of yesterday in 30 years. Me & my sons both talk value of cards. We also talk about the future potential of our collection. They appreciate the stats recorded on their cards and the players who set those stats. We sell at card shows and other (non-ebay) outlets. We also buy a lot of cards. Basically, we are forming a collection that shows our favorites and important sports heroes of this and last century, but we are buying at best prices. Those best prices are great these days. We have a "PERMANENT COLLECTION" ... goes in, never to be sold. We sell/trade the other cards to supplement our buying habits. With boxes at the prices they are at today, you have to compensate if you wish to maintain a collection. With buying, selling & trading, I always act as a collector. I don't offer 10% to buy just because I am set up at a show. I offer a fair amount and expect a fair amount in return. Not because I want to get rich. Because if I only got a $20 jersey from a $40 box, I don't really get much choice. This principle expands my networking base and allows me to provide my customers and friends with the best available cards. It also makes my permanent collection pretty impressive. Now, in closing I would like to say your view of the hobby isn't because of the cards or market conditions ... it sounds more like you are upset that America's Pastime is no longer baseball but making money ... Basic principle of Capitalism, it is only worth what someone is willing to pay at that time & get the most for what you got when you can. Cards were always like that to an lesser extent. The dealer side was shaded from view to the average collector. With E-Bay, everyone is a dealer. Make the quick buck and move on to the next hot thing. How is a brand new Mark Prior 1/1 worth more than a Steve Carlton RC ? Scarcity? Simple ... DEMAND! If someone would give you $5,000 for one of your cards you would have no choice but to take it. As would I or anyone. The right grading company is a good thing for the hobby. Preservation of top quality vintage cards is of great importance to this hobby ... but that is a different topic for a different time n place ... Just a couple pennies from me ... Patrick www.dacollector.net "Bill H." wrote in message oups.com... When I was only 8 years old, I got my first pack of Donruss baseball cards as an Easter present. This began what was to be a long obsession with baseball cards. Being only a kid, I didn't know much at all about collecting cards, or even how to take care of them. I kept my first bundle of cards secured with a rubber band and would tote them around in my pocket, or keep them in a little box on my dresser. The idea of cards having a "value" was beyond my comprehension. They were mine and I loved them all. As my collection grew, I started keeping the cards in plastic sleeves and binders. This was mainly done out of necessity rather than any idea of protecing the cards. It was easier to look at the cards this way, for one, and besides - I was running out of rubber bands. When I was maybe 10 or so, I would ride my bike downtown and look at the cards at the local card shop. This was probably when it dawned on me that my cards might actually be "worth something". Using my allowance, I would spend money on a card here or there, usually trying to get an "old card" if I could. One summer I bought an entire box of 1990 Donruss wax packs, and opened them all in a flurry, hoping to find some gems. Sadly, I didn't. Then came the Beckett magazines, and the endless looking up and dreaming of the value of my collection. Some of my cards were worth something, but mostly all of them were commons. On top of that, few of them were really in "mint" condition, or anything approaching mint. And so, realizing my collection was worth very little, my interest waned. I lost touch with the fun of collecting. Now, with the Internet, everyone seems to be concerned with their cards having a value. People even go to the trouble of getting their cards "graded" to get the most money for them that they can. After getting into the hobby somewhat last year (I'm 25 now), the whole hobby looks to be just a big business. Greedy people trying to get the most money they can for their collection, and being upset when their collection isn't worth the money they had hoped it would. I'm as gulity of this as anyone. So I'm trying to find out what it was about the cards that made me enjoy them in the first place. I'm trying to reunite myself with the joy of collecting a card, whether it's worthy anything or not. I just don't know if that's possible in a hobby where the allmighty dollar has become so important. |
#3
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Good thoughts, Patrick.
I've been thinking about this all day while going over my collection and cruising Ebay. I stumbled upon the realization that you were talking about - the "hot thing right now". At the time I bought a lot of these cards, I was convinced that they would appreciate in value over time. Knowing the value at the time and getting emotionally invoved in it set me up for disappointment when I realized they were next to worthless ten years later. If making money was my goal, I would have been a lot better served to know when to sell. Of course, not everyone collects based solely on monetary value. Some people just collect what they like, whether it's team sets, rookie cards, vintage HOF players, or something else. I think it's also important to realize that a lot of "collectors" are really "dealers" and vice versa. There's nothing wrong with either one. Some people are simply in it to make money. They're the ones who want to buy low and sell high. Collectors, as I consider them anyhow, are the ones who are willing to hold cards that mean something to them, and might pay a premium to obtain something that's special to them. Anyhow, I will continue collecting, and set the "money-making" aspect of the hobby to the side. Perhaps by narrowing my focus into the things that I like and liquidating what I don't like and am not interested in, I can find some satisfaction. -Bill H. |
#4
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"Bill H." wrote in message oups.com... When I was only 8 years old, I got my first pack of Donruss baseball cards as an Easter present. This began what was to be a long obsession with baseball cards. Being only a kid, I didn't know much at all about collecting cards, or even how to take care of them. I kept my first bundle of cards secured with a rubber band and would tote them around in my pocket, or keep them in a little box on my dresser. The idea of cards having a "value" was beyond my comprehension. They were mine and I loved them all. As my collection grew, I started keeping the cards in plastic sleeves and binders. This was mainly done out of necessity rather than any idea of protecing the cards. It was easier to look at the cards this way, for one, and besides - I was running out of rubber bands. When I was maybe 10 or so, I would ride my bike downtown and look at the cards at the local card shop. This was probably when it dawned on me that my cards might actually be "worth something". Using my allowance, I would spend money on a card here or there, usually trying to get an "old card" if I could. One summer I bought an entire box of 1990 Donruss wax packs, and opened them all in a flurry, hoping to find some gems. Sadly, I didn't. Then came the Beckett magazines, and the endless looking up and dreaming of the value of my collection. Some of my cards were worth something, but mostly all of them were commons. On top of that, few of them were really in "mint" condition, or anything approaching mint. And so, realizing my collection was worth very little, my interest waned. I lost touch with the fun of collecting. Now, with the Internet, everyone seems to be concerned with their cards having a value. People even go to the trouble of getting their cards "graded" to get the most money for them that they can. After getting into the hobby somewhat last year (I'm 25 now), the whole hobby looks to be just a big business. Greedy people trying to get the most money they can for their collection, and being upset when their collection isn't worth the money they had hoped it would. I'm as gulity of this as anyone. So I'm trying to find out what it was about the cards that made me enjoy them in the first place. I'm trying to reunite myself with the joy of collecting a card, whether it's worthy anything or not. I just don't know if that's possible in a hobby where the allmighty dollar has become so important. Back in those years it had something to do with baseball players and being able to relate to those players. Now days the players are more foreign or more hated. Why would somebody want Manny Ramirez cards? they don't. Why would somebody want Pedro Martinez? they don't. 17 years ago in 1988 people wanted Cal Ripkens, Nolan Ryans etc. then came the football/basketball/hockey runs. Now Nascar would be up there too. Cards that people can relate to and relate to the players. Very few of todays heroes except for maybe like Shaq, people don't care about the cards anymore and that is why it has gone down the hill again. I have been in this since the 1970s and have seen the investors take over in 1984 and then bale again in the early 90's. Graded cards came along thanks pretty much to Alan Hager Accu-card and thats the story. If the steroid thing this year wouldn't have gotten so huge, Bonds cards would still be in swing but i don't think it will make any difference anymore since baseball cards after a few more players retire, will not have any reason to invest in but just for the craze of opening a pack like a Christmas present. Very few of todays players will be Hall of Famers down the road in relationship to the numbers of their elders. I can't see any 300 games current pitchers in the future. 3000 hits? maybe but it will be more so due to the training & steroid things out there. The rest makes no difference. Look at the Terrel Owens/ Randy Moss soap opera. Why would you want their cards? nobody does. There is more fun in collecting other things like memorabilia related to teams vs. a certain player, music things relating to a certain band etc!Happy hunting! |
#5
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When I was growing up and collecting, it was possible (and not
financially prohibitive) to get all three or four complete sets every year, along with the traded series cards, as well. Now, with card companies deliberately making cards that are ultra-rare and valueable, collectors are forced to choose. Also, baseball has come under attack by the steroid scandal, of course, not to mention that players move around so much nowadays that following your favorite player can have you "rooting" for a rival team at some point. Still, I think the real baseball fans see through all of this, and appreciate the game for what it is. I think steroids are bad for baseball, but gosh - wasn't it exciting when MgGwire and Sosa were battling it out? By comparison, Bonds 73-homer season hardly seemed to be mentioned at all. Bonds is also a tough guy to like. He doesn't have a habit of talking very well to the media, teammates don't always like him, and he seems to be in a bad mood a lot of the time. But the same could be said of Ty Cobb. Anyhow, collectors will find ways to keep enjoying what they do, I think. |
#6
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Being only a kid, I didn't know much at all about collecting cards
No ****? I bet you thought you were sucking on a trouser popcicle behind the dugout too. "Bill H." wrote in message oups.com... When I was only 8 years old, I got my first pack of Donruss baseball cards as an Easter present. This began what was to be a long obsession with baseball cards. Being only a kid, I didn't know much at all about collecting cards, or even how to take care of them. I kept my first bundle of cards secured with a rubber band and would tote them around in my pocket, or keep them in a little box on my dresser. The idea of cards having a "value" was beyond my comprehension. They were mine and I loved them all. As my collection grew, I started keeping the cards in plastic sleeves and binders. This was mainly done out of necessity rather than any idea of protecing the cards. It was easier to look at the cards this way, for one, and besides - I was running out of rubber bands. When I was maybe 10 or so, I would ride my bike downtown and look at the cards at the local card shop. This was probably when it dawned on me that my cards might actually be "worth something". Using my allowance, I would spend money on a card here or there, usually trying to get an "old card" if I could. One summer I bought an entire box of 1990 Donruss wax packs, and opened them all in a flurry, hoping to find some gems. Sadly, I didn't. Then came the Beckett magazines, and the endless looking up and dreaming of the value of my collection. Some of my cards were worth something, but mostly all of them were commons. On top of that, few of them were really in "mint" condition, or anything approaching mint. And so, realizing my collection was worth very little, my interest waned. I lost touch with the fun of collecting. Now, with the Internet, everyone seems to be concerned with their cards having a value. People even go to the trouble of getting their cards "graded" to get the most money for them that they can. After getting into the hobby somewhat last year (I'm 25 now), the whole hobby looks to be just a big business. Greedy people trying to get the most money they can for their collection, and being upset when their collection isn't worth the money they had hoped it would. I'm as gulity of this as anyone. So I'm trying to find out what it was about the cards that made me enjoy them in the first place. I'm trying to reunite myself with the joy of collecting a card, whether it's worthy anything or not. I just don't know if that's possible in a hobby where the allmighty dollar has become so important. |
#7
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Feel better now?
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